A very dear family friend was killed this week.
Along with my own sorrow and my heartbroken grief for his family, my thoughts have been filled with my experiences during my teenage years. I used to think that what I had growing up was pretty typical. I still hope that it is, but the more I go through life, the more I cherish the experiences and opportunities I was given. In part because I understand more fully what a blessing they were, and in part because they seem to be more rare than I had once believed.
I was blessed with a large group of friends who were not only good examples and a strengthening influence, but who all came from good, decent, strong, hardworking, loving families. Even as I write this, I am overwhelmed by the truth of it and what it meant to me then. It means even more to me now.
I think most teenagers spend some time kind of floating. Trying to come to terms with who they are and who they want to become. It is so crucial that at this time, they are surrounded by a circle of strength and love to ground them. My circle was as strong and steady and loving as anyone could hope for~filled not only with friends, but with their families as well. I can't begin to explain the difference this has made in my life or the gratitude I feel for these good people.
"When true values and basic virtues undergird the families of society, hope will conquer despair, and faith will triumph over doubt.
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Such values, when learned and lived in our families, will be as welcome rain to parched soil. Love will be engendered; loyalty to one's best self will be enhanced; and those virtues of character, integrity, and goodness will be fostered. The family must hold its preeminent place in our way of life because it's the only possible base upon which a society of responsible human beings has ever found it practicable to build for the future and maintain the values they cherish in the present."
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"At the end, what really matters is who you loved and who loved you. That circle of love is everything, and is a great measure of a past life. It is the gift of greatest worth."
Bernadine Healy
